Rating: 5/5 stars

Category: Romance, YA, Historical

Publisher: Joy Revolution – Penguin Random House Children’s

Publication date: 4^th April 2023

Pages: 252

Trigger: None

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SYNOPSIS

Lady Ela Dalvi knows the exact moment her life was forever changed—when her best friend, Poppy, betrayed her without qualm over a boy, the son of a duke. She was sent away in disgrace, her reputation ruined.

Nearly three years later, eighteen-year-old Ela is consumed with bitterness and a desire for . . . revenge. Her enemy is quickly joining the crème de la crème of high society while she withers away in the English countryside.

With an audacious plan to get even, Ela disguises herself as a mysterious heiress and infiltrates London’s elite. But when Ela reunites with the only boy she’s ever loved, she begins to question whether vengeance is still her greatest desire.

In this complicated game of real-life chess, Ela must choose her next move: Finally bring down the queen or capture the king’s heart?

Review                                              

Ela is an Earl’s daughter who had an unfortunate experience of being expelled from country society because of her jealous, spiteful best friend. Now Ela is back as Lyra, an untitled heiress seemingly seeking a good match in her first season. Ela/Lyra is really back for revenge on Poppy (her former best friend), to take her society crown and ruin her reputation. Revenge is a dish best served cold but there are other delicious distractions that are hard to resist, like genuine friendship and a sinfully handsome marquis. Will Ela/Lyra give into the demands of her heart or will she follow through with her just dessert for Poppy?

I gave 5 out of 5 stars. I loved the chess references throughout the book. I loved Ela/Lyra, she as so classy and she didn’t really do a lot of bad things for her to fall into the same character flaw as the person she wants to take revenge on. She reminded me of a good person trying to be bad to protect themselves but failed woefully at being bad. Ela/Lyra’s relationship with Keston was so beautiful, the sparks was flying off the page the minute they met the second time and you could see the beautiful budding romance of their younger days as well. The strong friendships and connections was the most heart-warming part of the story. I love how the author goes from present Lyra to past Ela until events catch up at the end, just thrilling. I love it when this type of historical romance that reminds you of mills and boons is not the featuring a white character is its main protagonist.

About The Author

AMALIE HOWARD is a USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestselling novelist. Always Be My Duchess was one of Cosmopolitan’s 30 Best Romance Books of 2022 and The Beast of Beswick was one of Oprah Daily’s 24 Best Historical Romance Novels to Read. She is also the author of several award-winning young adult novels. A Caribbean-born AAPI writer, her books have been featured in The Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Weekly, and Seventeen Magazine. When she’s not writing, she can usually be found reading, being the president of her one-woman Harley Davidson motorcycle club, or power-napping. She lives in Colorado with her family.

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